I'm not RIGHT, you're not WRONG, WE ARE DIFFERENT.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

It amazes me that so many get their panties in a wad when they post their opinion on a public discussion board and someone else disagrees or posts a counter opinion.

Seriously! It's OK. In most cases, that counter opinion is just that -- opinion. While I do take issue with those who take themselves very seriously and post their opinion as fact, I am happy to say they are few and far between.

We, for the most part, have different surgeons, different NUTs, different metabolisms, different builds, different backgrounds, different thought processes, different psychosis... (JOKING! Kind of.)

There are very few doctors or therapists here. There are NO experts on YOU here, with the exception of yourself. No one is qualified to give you *absolute do or die* advice. No one is in a position to tell you that you are !!!WRONG!!! or that everyone else is.

Relax. Breathe. Discuss. Share. Vent. Listen. Learn.

We all have our hot buttons, we are human. We all have topics we are passionate about. Debate is fun! It's healthy. It's how we learn and grow. It's a positive form of interaction until someone takes it personally. (I'm guilty at times -- I know it!) As long as it's respectful, there is no name calling involved, and there are no personal attacks, there is nothing wrong with it.

I'll tell you a few things about me that are "wrong" and I don't give a rat's patoot if you want to tell me so:

I drink soda. GASP! Even worse, I drink it through a straw! I would never tell anyone else to do the same. That's between you and your doctor.

I graze all day. My sleeve is small, my restriction is fierce. I graze to keep myself from getting too hungry, eating too fast and then vomiting it all back up.

I eat while I work, when I drive, when I watch TV. I find that when I do this, I get distracted and I eat slower. Weird, I know.

I weigh myself 2-4 times a day. First thing in the morning (usually fully dressed in my PJs as I get up at a ridiculously early time of day to get my kids out of the door.) I weigh myself buck naked after kissing them goodbye when it's time to get myself dressed. I weigh myself before and after a poo (giggle) because I have a middle school boy sense of humor. I weigh myself at night, again buck nekky, just before I get in the shower. I call it my step aerobics. It works for me. I don't get frustrated or upset. I never have, even at my fattest.

I eat real chocolate every day. Just a few Hershey Kisses or a Dove Promise (dark!). It quiets the sweet tooth I didn't have pre-op and keeps me from thinking about sweets all day. It's better to feed the beast a nibble and shut it up. FOR ME.

I eat full fat everything except the things I don't.

I am choosing not to be a WLS advocate. I don't care HOW people think I am losing weight, I don't care who supports me. I don't tell my business to everyone and it's not up to me to save the world from obesity one fatty at a time. I'm not embarrassed, ashamed or a liar.



Your personal experience, your advice from your NUT/surgeon/NP may differ completely. You may be of the opinion that I will be the size of a small whale in 5 year's time. You may think that I am failing myself and my surgery. You may think I am a hypocrite. It's OK.

You do you, I'll do me. We can talk and share and be opinionated together, even when our opinions don't match.

This is a public DISCUSSION board. It's ok to discuss, it's ok to be opinionated. Just expect the same in return.

[amponder 396]

Sorry just don't agree. Yeah my philosophy is take it with a grain of salt. We are all different and some of us have had different surgeries even, but we all had WLS for the same reason. So we all know what it's like to be obese, so let's just support each other the best way we know how.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

Sorry just don't agree. Yeah my philosophy is take it with a grain of salt. We are all different and some of us have had different surgeries even, but we all had WLS for the same reason. So we all know what it's like to be obese, so let's just support each other the best way we know how.

So...which part don't you agree with?

[ivona0909 38]

LOL I LOVE YOUR HONESTY!

[amponder 396]

@@LipstickLady I love the part about you weighing yourself, I so do the same things. I also wear the same clothes to my weigh ins cause I know exactly how much I will weigh when they adjust for clothing lol.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I won't admit that in my WWs days, I measured my wedding ring, watch, earrings and outfit on my food scale so I could justify any weight gain or very small loss at registration.

[TEXASLADY52 264]

LOL---Love your candid! You are so right....I'm not right and you're not wrong!!! I have had a gentleman jump on me more than once because I use GENEPRO??? States he is a doctor.....my question in my mind is always..."if you are a doctor...how do you find time to be on this blog and monitor the discussions......practice must be slow???"...LOL

[Katcloudshepherd 630]

LipstickLady,

You have such a flair for writing. Thank you for stating what should be obvious.

Kathleen

[LipstickLady 25,682]

LipstickLady,

You have such a flair for writing. Thank you for stating what should be obvious.

Kathleen

Obvious. Ya'd think, wouldn't you? Snort!

[punkinvine 227]

OH my what fun! Well I too eat real butter... about a teaspoon a day. Real Peanut Butter, about 1 1/2 tsp 3x a week. I rarely weigh. Maybe once every 2 weeks. I eat from the garden and real organic meats in small quantities. No artificial sweeteners or additives if I can help it! I love my home made smoothies with frozen fresh fruit I have done myself in the summer and milk and honey. Plain and simple. And oh yes real Godiva or Reeces chocolates one a day! For a snack I have my Gummy Vitamins and minerals with green tea! I keep my body moving with exercise everyday and try to get in 10 miles on elliptical weekly. For fun I dance with anyone who wants to see and old lady boogie! My grandkids are willing anytime... ages 3, 2, 1 1/2 and a new one coming soon. I have had tea parties with Water in plastic tea pot and little plastic cups, no table cloth, no fancy centerpiece, no candles! Grandkids grinning from eat to ear as they take turns pouring! I can sing the "I'm a little teapot short and stout " song and actually bend and pour it out! Fitter is Funner!

[SeahawksFan 444]

I totally agree. And I love that you are totally honest!! Keep on being you!

~LA

[bellabill 253]

That is how things should be. Stop getting offended. Stop thinking your plan works better than mine. Stop being overly critical. We are all different beings and we are all trying to find what works for the best for us. I respect everyone and their opinions. I may not agree but that is okay. I am cool with it. No one is an expert here.Carry on and have a good day.

[JamieLogical 8,708]

The truth is, we all have to live the rest of our lives. We all have to do what keeps us sane and happy. If that means some "unhealthy" or "unconventional" choices once in a while (or even every day!), then so be it. Obviously, many (all?) of us are prone to some unhealthy behavior. We wouldn't need WLS in the first place if we were capable to maintaining 100% discipline all of the time. So we should be careful and mindful of what we are doing. But as long as we are honest with ourselves, there is no reason we can't partake of some foods and activities that aren't "ideal" for bariatric patients.

I certainly have my vices! I am back up to 3 cups of coffee a day now since being allowed to start drinking coffee again at 30 days post-op. Is it good for me? Probably not. Is 3 cups going a bit beyond "moderate" consumption? Probably. Am I going to try to cut back? Maybe someday, but not anytime soon.

I also don't track my food! I tracked for a bit in the early days just to make sure I knew what I needed to eat to get enough Protein, but I stopped once I had a good sense of that. I've been on so many diets over the years and been so obsessive about tracking every single bite I ate. I weighed everything. I refused to eat out a lot of the time, because restaurants didn't provide full nutritional info or I felt it was likely inaccurate. I would pass on anything and everything I was ever offered at work or social events because I didn't have the nutrition info and therefor couldn't track it. You know what? I don't want to have to do that for the rest of my life! I don't want to obsess about every single thing that ever crosses my lips. Can I do that for a few months or even a couple of years like I have in the past? Yes! But do I want to do that every day for the next 60 years? NOPE! So I don't track. I keep a vague running total of Protein in my head to make sure I'm getting enough, but that's it.

This is the rest of our lives we are talking about. This is not some diet that we will eventually be "done" with. So if you can't live the rest of your life without drinking soda, or eating fat free everything, or never having chocolate every again, then why should you be expected to? We need to be realistic here! No one knows us like we know ourselves. Keep yourself in check, but a life of deprivation is going to ultimately lead to a lot of misery.

[Shrinkingmom 218]

LOL! This is a great thread! Everyone gets to "confess" and know noone is going to say anything about it.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

LOL! This is a great thread! Everyone gets to "confess" and know noone is going to say anything about it.

Oh no! Anyone can say anything they want. I just don't care.